There is a title and automatic bid on the line for the Conference of Champions as the Pac-12 Tournament will take place in the heart of Las Vegas! Join us for our college basketball odds series where our Pac-12 Tournament prediction and pick will be made.
With a decent amount of contending teams in this year's Pac-12 Tournament, this conference tournament is truly up for grabs compared to the rest of the league's around the country. While UCLA was the regular season champion and are the odds-favorite to take home the crown in the Sin City, which other teams have chances of punching their ticket automatically to the big dance?
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
Pac-12 Tournament Odds: 2023 Winner Odds
UCLA: +150
Arizona: +165
USC: +650
Oregon: +1000
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Why UCLA Could Win the Pac-12
Not only did UCLA manage to win their first regular-season crown in close to a decade, but the Bruins are also playing for the number-one overall seed come NCAA Tournament time. Clearly, the Bruins are about as well-balanced as they come, but they recently took a big hit as they will be without one of their top playmakers in Jaylen Clark, as he will be expected to miss the entirety of the Pac-12 Tournament due to a lower leg injury. Nevertheless, the Bruins still possess a decent amount of depth within their starting lineup and bench.
Alas, this team will go as far as lengthy guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. and fellow backcourt teammate Tyger Campbell can carry them, as the dynamic duo can get the job done both on the offensive and defensive ends of the floor.
Why Arizona Could Win the Pac-12
Without a doubt, the Arizona Wildcats have remained as one of the more consistent basketball programs that the Pac-12 has to offer, as they underwent another strong campaign that resulted in a 25-win season and a top-ten ranking to complete regular season play. If Arizona has plans of capturing one of the top seeds in the NCAA Tournament by winning the Pac-12 this week, the Wildcats will need to use their tremendous length to their advantage.
Arguably, Arizona's big men down low are as ferocious as they come, as the one-two punch of forward Azuolas Tubelis and Oumar Ballo are as elite of a front court in the nation. In addition to the fact that these two names also lead the Wildcats in scoring, be on the lookout for the perimeter play of the Wildcats to be on high alert. While Arizona leads the league in three-point percentage, they are also equipped with one of the highest-scoring offenses in all of America.
Why USC Could Win the Pac-12
While UCLA and Arizona are the cream of the crop heading into this week's tournament, don't count out USC's ability to play the part of Cinderella, as the Trojans come to Las Vegas winners in five of their previous six games combined. Under the leadership of head coach Andy Enfield in his ninth season, USC boasts a decent amount of skill, leadership, and experience to possibly take home the Conference of Champions hardware.
In order to accomplish such a feat, the Trojans will need to keep point guard Boogie Ellis on the tear that he has been over recent weeks. A large part of why USC has caught fire down the stretch of the regular season, Ellis is the Trojans' top scorer at 18.1 PPG. Not to mention, the do-it-all guard in Drew Peterson also proposes problems for teams throughout the conference, as his heads-up play in the scoring department and even on defense will be something intriguing to watch out for.
Why Oregon Could Win the Pac-12
Long-shots to take home the whole enchilada in this week's tournament, a deep run to at least the final may be needed for the Oregon Ducks to be invited to the big dance in about a week from now. Among the next four out according to Joe Lunardi of ESPN, there is no doubt that Oregon needs to make some noise to force the section committee to select them among the final 64 teams to compete for a national championship.
Of course, receiving an automatic bid by winning the Pac-12 Tournament will eliminate any worry of this, as the Ducks do have a fair amount of talent at their disposal. If there is one strength that makes the Ducks stand out from the rest of the crowd, it is their overall balance. They don't necessarily stand out in any particular stat as they don't really shoot the ball extremely well, but they do happen to have the services of an experienced guard in senior Will Richardson who should make a big impact for the Ducks with his 12.5 points per game.
Final Pac-12 Tournament Prediction & Pick
With a name like the Conference of Champions, absolute havoc should ensue within the Sin City! Conversely, the loss of Jaylen Clark will prove to be too much to overcome as the mass following of Arizona Wildcats fans to Las Vegas will provide the second-seed with enough of electricity to hoist a Pac-12 Championship for the second-consecutive season.
Final Pac-12 Tournament Prediction & Pick: Arizona +165
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